


Legend

by RoeDusk



Series: Naruto Story Idea and Headcanon Grab Bag [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate History, Chakra as part of a planet Lifestream, Gen, Kaguya is not an Alien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 19:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8340007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoeDusk/pseuds/RoeDusk
Summary: A different take on how Chakra was distributed throughout the Naruto World.  How Kaguya first gained it and how both Ootsutsuki brothers had a hand in shaping the world to follow (instead of just the Sage).Part 1 of the Legacy of the Ootsutsuki alternate history idea.





	

Long ago, in a world that would seem strange to us now, humanity waged a long and terrible war on itself with nothing but their strength of arms, possessing no chakra whatsoever.  The battles were brutal and the war endless, when one young woman dared cross into cursed lands in search of a solution.

Somehow, unlike all those who came before her, she made it through the dangerous powers drawn up from deep within the earth by the roots of the ancient tree, the Shinju, finally coming upon the tree itself.  There were fruits larger than a human head weighing down the branches, but the tree was covered in thorns, and most of the fruit was buried deeply among their wicked blades.

Still the young woman was determined, desperate for food and an end to the fighting she pulled loose the least guarded of the fruits.  Then, settling down at the base of the tree and ignoring the cut on her hand, she ate it, throwing away the pit when it was all she had left.  It was only then that she passed out and wouldn’t wake until the next morning.

Now the Shinju’s roots ran deep, sinking into the lifeblood of the planet itself and drawing that power to the surface all at once where it would otherwise have emerged slowly over many, many years.  This same power was stored as energy in its seeds, a packet of power to allow saplings to send their roots deep and grow strong.  Accelerating their growth until they were dug in deep enough to draw on the planet’s life force themselves, trees that could grow for another hundred-thousand years.

As she slept this small packet of the Shinju’s power settled into the young woman’s bones, her very cells, and she gained a portion of the planet’s life energy, what we call ‘Chakra’ today.  And what was a small portion for a hundred-thousand-year-old tree was more power than any human had ever had.  It was a simple thing for the young woman to return to her people and take over.  From there she extended her power to her neighbors, then her enemies.  Before long she had united the world under her rule and enforced peace on the survivors after the dust had cleared.

Once they realized what she had done the people seemed to forget their lost loved ones at her hand and began to worship her as their savior goddess.  Peace after generations of war was worth the cost, they thought.  But they were diminished, the world’s population a mere fraction of what it had once been, and life was hard.  The young woman, older now, listened as they complained.  How life was easier before with enough people to maintain everything and food was granted those with martial power by those less worthy, rather than worked for by all.  Worried the change could lead to conflicts that would later escalate into war, Kaguya, for that was her name, used her new powers to ease her followers’ lives however she could.  And once again they turned to her as a savior.  With her the only one who could perform such miracles conflict was set aside in fear of losing access to her guidance.  Still a part of her feared what might happen if another ate from the fruit of the tree, and she was glad she had never told from whence her power came.

Over the years she settled down, daring to hope for a peaceful life after years of war.  A young man, older now, had caught her eye and in time she took him to her bed, bearing twin sons from their union.  Conflict followed not long behind.  Even at their birth her sons showed signs of sharing her power, and those determined to return to the better ‘before’ rather than follow her sought to kidnap them away.  She repelled them easily, her powers far superior, but her lover was killed in the moments it took her to awaken.

Even at his death she couldn’t say she loved him, but he was a good husband and would have been a good father to their sons.  Her children being born with a portion of her power had ripped her dream of a peaceful life away from her, and once again revealed the ugly side of human conflict.  Incensed, the gentle goddess turned into a paranoid tyrant, her subjects losing one freedom after another to her fear.  Her hold continued in intensity until the restraints became less guiding and more arbitrary, but none had the strength to stand against her.  It wasn’t until a playmate was executed for speaking against their mother that her sons even realized peace was not longer the word for their world.

They were loathe to fight their mother and so talked in secret.  How could they reach her and show her she was harming others?  When they finally approached her with their concerns she lost herself.  Convinced they would rise against her and cause another war she tried to kill them.  But the brothers had lived in tandem all their lives, and could read each other so well they could fight and react as one.  Their ability to distract her from each other allowed them to escape.  And now they truly were against her.

With little time to plan, and less to acquire supplies, the brothers drew deeply on the powers and instincts they inherited from their mother, enacting a desperate plan.  The first tentative seals, the first combat chakra, and the awakening of the god eyes served them well, even as their mother fought back.  She berated them, ranting about the dangers of the tree and it’s power, and lashed out with a power of her own, one she had been hiding out of both paranoia and fear.  Channeling chakra through the bark of the tree she unleashed an attack meant to capture all humanity in a dream world, slowly converting them into husks of one mind, ending all conflict.  But her sons turned her attack against her, forcing her into a deep sleep in a dreamworld of her own creation.

Still, Hagoromo and Hamura knew it was only a patch job.  They were not yet the experts in chakra they would one day become, and improvisation and instinct might have stopped their mother but there could come a day when her control would allow her to break out though the flaws they had utilized as well.  With this in mind they hid her away and toppled the great tree, determined that it’s power would not feed her escape, leaving it’s remains scattered around her prison.  Gathering every last one of the tree’s fruits they returned to their home, where they studied long and hard and developed their powers.

But the people, trapped under Kaguya’s tyranny, now rose up in anger, upset, or outright rebellion.  The brothers traveled far and wide to stop the fighting, soothing some and fighting others until an uneasy peace settled once more on the land.  Now chakra masters in their own right, both brothers struggled to come up with a method to keep the peace long term.  Hagoromo believed that developing a chakra connection between people using their powers would enable others to understand each other on a deeper level and prevent war from erupting through sympathy, while Hamura believed conflict was inevitable, but a good leader could step in at the right moment to prevent it escalating into war.

At the same time, the brothers had finally found a way to test their mother’s claim that her power had come to her from eating the fruit of the ancient tree.  They cut a piece from one of the fruits and ate half, one after the other.  After a night of rest, they both agreed the other had grown more powerful.  A close friend and kinsman agreed to help them test the fruit a final time, eating a slice himself.  The next morning he had chakra as they did, only weaker.  Sworn to secrecy he trained under the brothers until he could control his new strengths.  Still, his success opened up new opportunities for the future, and new dangers.

Hand picking a few loyal kinsmen the brothers gave them the remaining meat from the fruit they had cut open then trained them in the use of chakra.  A plan was formulated to seal Kaguya away on the moon, out of reach of men, and seal her chakra somewhere else.  Without it she would not be able to escape, and with no one possessing chakra able to reach her she would never be awakened from her slumber.

At the same time contingencies were being planned in case all their failsafes came to naught and the Dark Goddess managed to return.  Hagoromo saw the strength they shared bringing their comrades together and suggested that a core group of individuals with strong chakra abilities would be able to stop Kaguya should she return.  Enough for a diverse set of talents to keep her distracted, but a small enough core that they could fight together seamlessly.  Hamura disagreed.  It would most likely be decades before Kaguya found a weakness in their first chakra trap.  So it would probably be centuries before she broke out of their revised one.  Giving a small amount of chakra to the most possible people would give them time to grow into the power, know it as a part of everyday life rather than the gift of the elite.  No risk of a small group being wiped out in a freak accident, and an army of strangers who knew their power better than she knows her own would be available to stop their mother no matter when she returned.

Unable to come to a consensus on how to plan for the future, Hagoromo and Hamura put the decision off until after their new prison was created.  Kaguya’s powers were drained away, and stored in Hagoromo’s body until a safe place could be found to keep them.  Her body was sent through a one way seal to the moon, where it would lay dormant, hopefully forever.  The group returned home, and the brothers reconvened.

Hagoromo spoke of the power he held, stolen, comparing it to a living thing.  Unlike the inherent power they had gained from their births or the formless power they had gained from eating the fruit of the seeds this power was earthy, ancient.  Stolen from the living tree itself rather than the seeds after it was dead, he speculated.  He talked of shaping it, splitting it into lives of its own, and Hamura listened, not understanding but supportive.

As the night grew late, the younger brother asked if they could speak of the seeds, now that their mother had been locked away.  Hagoromo hesitated.  He had hoped for one last night of normalcy before the new world dawned and new responsibilities finally had to be laid out.  Homura shared his hesitance, but wanted to get any arguments over instead.

In the end they couldn’t decide, but both of them wanted to avoid conflict and preserve peace as best they could, so they compromised.  Each brother would take half of the seeds and pursue their plan.  When they met again they would compare stories.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted both brothers to have meaningful contributions to the modern Naruto world, while still explaining why Hagoromo was better remembered. Also not everyone could be their descendants, I just couldn't make that work in my head. Or being possessed by/possessing an ancient tree... that looks like a mammal when moving. But Kaguya never really made sense. 
> 
> Part 2 of this idea is [Stone Soup](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8340085/chapters/19105558), but they're both able to stand on their own if desired.


End file.
